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Daughter of Iranian-German Sentenced to Death Urges Berlin to Pressure Tehran

Jamshid Sharmahd shows his German passport on screen during the trial in February 2022. (AFP)
Jamshid Sharmahd shows his German passport on screen during the trial in February 2022. (AFP)
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Daughter of Iranian-German Sentenced to Death Urges Berlin to Pressure Tehran

Jamshid Sharmahd shows his German passport on screen during the trial in February 2022. (AFP)
Jamshid Sharmahd shows his German passport on screen during the trial in February 2022. (AFP)

The daughter of Iranian-German dual national Jamshid Sharmahd, who is sentenced to death, has urged the German government to exert more efforts to rescue her father.

Gazelle Sharmahd urged the German government to pressure the Iranian authorities or else Tehran would be convinced that “we don’t have a red line”.

She added that until now there is no serious response from the government that would interest the leadership in Iran or make it refrain from executing Jamshid.

Gazelle told Deutschlandfunk on Tuesday that “Berlin remained ineffective in her father’s case for a long time”.

Berlin should have acted two and a half years ago when her father was abducted and now “it is too late”, according to Gazelle.

She added that German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is exerting more efforts compared to her predecessor but “unfortunately, words aren't enough”.

Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Sharmahd.

The Tehran Revolutionary Court in February sentenced Sharmahd, 67, to death after being held responsible for involvement in a “terrorist” attack and accused of cooperating with foreign intelligence agencies.

These allegations can't be confirmed.

Iran usually executes the death sentence by hanging.

Baerbock said the decision was “unacceptable” and called on Iran “to reverse this arbitrary sentence immediately”.

Sharmahd also has a US residency.

Sharmahd's arrest was announced in 2020 through an Intelligence Ministry statement that described him as “the ringleader of the terrorist Tondar group, who directed armed and terrorist acts in Iran from America,” according to Reuters.

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China Anchors ‘Monster Ship’ in South China Sea, Philippine Coast Guard Says

An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023. (Reuters)
An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023. (Reuters)
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China Anchors ‘Monster Ship’ in South China Sea, Philippine Coast Guard Says

An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023. (Reuters)
An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023. (Reuters)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Saturday that China's largest coastguard vessel has anchored in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, and is meant to intimidate its smaller Asian neighbor.

The China coastguard's 165-meter "monster ship" entered Manila's 200-nautical mile EEZ on July 2, spokesperson for the PCG Jay Tarriela told a news forum.

The PCG warned the Chinese vessel it was in the Philippine's EEZ and asked about their intentions, he said.

"It's an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard," Tarriela said. "We're not going to pull out and we're not going to be intimidated."

China's embassy in Manila and the Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China's coast guard has no publicly available contact information.

The Chinese ship, which has also deployed a small boat, was anchored 800 yards away from the PCG's vessel, Tarriela said.

In May, the PCG deployed a ship to the Sabina shoal to deter small-scale reclamation by China, which denied the claim. China has carried out extensive land reclamation on some islands in the South China Sea, building air force and other military facilities, causing concern in Washington and around the region.

China claims most of the South China Sea, a key conduit for $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade, as its own territory. Beijing rejects the 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration which said its expansive maritime claims had no legal basis.

Following a high-level dialogue, the Philippines and China agreed on Tuesday for the need to "restore trust" and "rebuild confidence" to better manage maritime disputes.

The Philippines has turned down offers from the United States, its treaty ally, to assist operations in the South China Sea, despite a flare-up with China over routing resupply missions to Filipino troops on a contested shoal.